Listen to Him
“For the Souls in Purgatory – Eternal rest grant unto them O Lord”
Luke 9:28b–36
He took Peter, John, and James and went up the mountain to pray. While he was praying his face changed in appearance and his clothing became dazzling white. And behold, two men were conversing with him, Moses and Elijah, who appeared in glory and spoke of his exodus that he was going to accomplish in Jerusalem. Peter and his companions had been overcome by sleep, but becoming fully awake, they saw his glory and the two men standing with him. As they were about to part from him, Peter said to Jesus, ‘Master, it is good that we are here; let us make three tents, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.’ But he did not know what he was saying. While he was still speaking, a cloud came and cast a shadow over them, and they became frightened when they entered the cloud. Then from the cloud came a voice that said, ‘This is my chosen Son; listen to him.’ When the voice had spoken, Jesus was found alone. They were silent and did not at that time tell anyone what they had seen.02
Grace Prayed For
The grace to listen deeply to Jesus, allowing His voice to define my identity above every other voice.
Reflection
There is something profoundly human about Peter’s response to the Transfiguration. In the presence of overwhelming glory, his instinct is to build—to capture, to institutionalize, to make permanent what is luminous and fleeting. “Let us make three tents.” Luke adds the gentle, humbling note: “He did not know what he was saying.” Most of us do not.
The disciples had been overcome by sleep before they saw the glory. This is a detail worth sitting with. They nearly slept through the revelation. How often do we do the same—missing the transfigured moments in our own lives because we are groggy with routine, distraction, or spiritual fatigue? Week Two of our journey is about identity, and identity is shaped by what we are awake enough to receive.
Moses and Elijah appear in their glory. The Law and the Prophets—the whole weight of Israel’s sacred history—converge in this moment around Jesus. They speak of His “exodus,” the departure He is about to accomplish in Jerusalem. All of history has been pointing here, to this man, to this cross. When we know who Jesus is, our own identity becomes clear: we are those who follow the one to whom all history points.
Then the cloud descends and the Father speaks. “This is my chosen Son.” The same word of affirmation spoken at baptism is spoken again, this time not for Jesus but for the disciples. They need to hear it too. They need to know that the one they are following is not simply a remarkable rabbi but the Son of God himself.
“Listen to him.” These three words are the entire curriculum of Christian identity formation. Not: study him, manage him, organize his legacy into matching tents. Listen to him. When Peter tries to fix the moment in permanent structures, the voice interrupts. The glory cannot be housed. It can only be received and followed.
This week we are learning who we are in Christ: royal priesthood, new creation, friends of God, chosen before the foundation of the world. But none of those identities can be received on the run. They require the posture of the disciples on that mountain—coming down from the ordinary routine, entering the cloud of unknowing, and letting the Father’s voice name us.
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Sharing
Jesus last words on Earth were to his disciples, can be found in Matthew Chap 28 when Jesus told his disciples, “Then Jesus approached and said to them, “All power in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age.”
Jesus calls all of us to share in his redemptive mission here on Earth. I would ask you to share this Scripture reflection with your family, your friends and your acquaintances, and then share it with a couple of individuals that you may may not be comfortable sharing with, keeping in mind always the words of Jesus, And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age
Author was assisted by AI in the drafting of this Post